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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722130">A Principled Man</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/generalekenobi/pseuds/generalekenobi'>generalekenobi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:09:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/generalekenobi/pseuds/generalekenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kix feels nothing when he looks up at the glowing remnants of the Hosnian System. He <em>knows</em> he should be feeling something, horror, disgust, rage, <em>anything</em>, but his heart is already heavy with grief. He’s been out of stasis a few weeks at most, and when Sidon Ithano had sat him down and quietly told him just what exactly had happened to the galaxy, Kix cried. He wept for everyone he’d ever known and loved. He mourned his vode, his general, his Republic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-6116 | Kix/Finn, Finn &amp; CT-6116 | Kix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Principled Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, and welcome to the inaugural kixfinn fic. Both Kix and Finn deserved so much better than the sequel trilogy gave them, so welcome to my TED talk where I gush about how great these two would be for each other. Mando'a translations at the bottom, as per usual.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kix feels nothing when he looks up at the glowing remnants of the Hosnian System. He <em> knows </em> he should be feeling something, horror, disgust, rage, <em> anything</em>, but his heart is already heavy with grief. He’s been out of stasis a few weeks at most, and when Sidon Ithano had sat him down and quietly told him just what exactly had happened to the galaxy, Kix cried. He wept for everyone he’d ever known and loved. He mourned his vode, his general, his Republic.</p><p>Ever since then, Kix has been drifting, going along with the crew of the <em> Meson Martinet </em> from one abandoned Seppie base to another, raiding what valuables remained. He’s purposeless, for the first time in his short life. Before… before he’d had his duty as a medic, he’d had his brothers, he’d had the Republic. Now he’s fallen in with pirates. Good people, yes, but pirates all the same. They’re open about being driven by profits and nothing more.</p><p>Still, he knows he should be feeling something, staring at the razed planets that hosted the New Republic. The newest crew member standing on the ramp of the <em> Martinet</em>, on the other hand? Kix can’t look away from the horror present on his face, and it makes him ashamed that he himself is so numb to the suffering. Kix wonders if the shinie has friends or family in the system, or if he’s just empathetic enough to mourn for those he’s never known. </p><p>The man in the leather jacket drops the box he’s holding and rushes down the ramp, bumping into Kix on his way past.</p><p>“Sorry,” he mutters, and then he’s disappeared into the crowd of horrified onlookers. Kix has no clue where he’s going, but he has a feeling that he’s going to help bring whoever did this to justice.</p><p>“It’s all good,” Kix says to no one, still staring at where the man had melted into the crowd. Kix shakes himself and looks over to find Reveth staring at him. He glances up once more at the red pinpricks in the sky and shakes his head. From what Sidon told him of current events, the only faction powerful enough and with enough motive to take out the New Republic is the First Order, Kix is certain of it. </p><p>He needs to find Sidon. Kix needs to tell him that he’s leaving the crew to join up in the fight against the First Order, he owes him that much. The New Republic may not have been <em> his </em> Republic, but it was the closest thing left. It deserves to be avenged. He can’t just sit out anymore - he was <em> made </em> for war. Not this war, but that doesn’t much matter, not to Kix. He has to believe that there’s still good out there for him to accomplish, still people for him to save. Kix refuses to think that the galaxy is cruel enough to do this to him without reason. </p><p>Feeling something besides grief for the first time in weeks, Kix raises his head high and walks up the ramp of the <em> Martinet</em>. He stops by the crew quarters and shoves his few possessions into a knapsack and slings the DC-15A he’d picked up over his shoulder. Kix turns to find Sidon watching him in the doorway, arms crossed. Kix stands tall and walks over to face his Captain. He shoves his hand out to shake, and after a moment, Sidon clasps his arm in a warrior’s greeting, surprising Kix.</p><p>“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, sir, but I can’t sit this one out anymore. I’m going to join up against the First Order,” he says, and Sidon seems to study him before nodding. He says nothing, being a man of very few words, but he steps aside to let Kix pass. Kix stares into the scarlet Kaleesh mask one more time before he leaves through the door.</p><p>“K’oyacyi, Kix,” he hears, making him stop in his tracks before shaking his head and walking down the ramp. Sidon always was full of surprises.</p><p>Kix breathes in the warm Takodana air once more before setting off to find Maz. Sidon had informed him before they arrived that she had Resistance contacts, despite claiming to be neutral. Maybe the Captain had sensed Kix’s restlessness before even Kix did.</p><p>The crowds have mostly dispersed, but he still has to elbow his way towards the entrance to get through. Before he enters, his ears prick up at the sound of starfighters. He freezes and looks to the horizon, body tense in anticipation. There, above the treeline, are a squad of TIE-fighters and support ships. Kix had devoured everything on the Empire after he’d learned about it’s rise to try and understand it - he knows that the First Order was born from the remnants of the Imperial forces. Looking around, no one else has seemed to notice. The hair stands up on the back of his neck. Apparently, he was joining the fight sooner than he thought.</p><p>“INCOMING FIGHTERS, SCATTER, SCATTER, SCATTER!” Kix yells, startling the sentients around him as he points to the approaching TIEs. A few look up and begin to run towards their ships as Kix dashes towards the woods. They’re going to hit the castle first, he needs to survive long enough to help hold off the ground troops that he knows are coming. He doesn’t know the motivation for taking Takodana, but like hell is he going to make it an easy fight for them. He may be a medic, but he could shoot with the best of his brothers back in the day.</p><p>He isn’t looking when they hit the castle, too busy trying to get to the measly cover offered by the trees, but he can feel the ground vibrate beneath his feet as the TIEs scream past. Kix skids to a stop behind a tree and flicks the safety of his blaster off. He can hear blaster fire in the distance and looks through the scope of his rifle to see a platoon of white-armored soldiers. He feels his breath catch at the sight. He <em> knows </em> they aren’t vode, but he still hesitates to fire until he catches sight of the stormtroopers gunning down an unarmed Twi’lek man. </p><p>Rage lights anew in his chest as he coolly takes a shot at what appears to be the lieutenant, getting him in the neck. Kix ducks back into cover just as a bolt makes impact with the tree. He takes a breath before turning and taking out two more troopers in quick succession before diving towards a nearby rock and making his way back towards the smoking ruins. He needs to keep his distance, and he can’t afford to get pinned down. He can hear intermittent blaster fire in the distance - he isn’t the only one fighting back, and it brings a smile to his face. </p><p>That’s when he hears it, a sound he would know anywhere: a lightsaber igniting. Kix freezes on the spot.</p><p>The Jedi aren’t all dead. He still has a chance to protect them, to do his duty.</p><p>Kix double-times it towards the sound, taking out another three troopers on the way, nearly getting killed in the process. He doesn’t care - he has a purpose again! The sound of a plasma beam is music to his ears. When it disappears, his heart nearly stops. He crests a ridge of rubble to find the shinie from before on the ground, grasping a lightsaber hilt. A shock trooper looms over him, ready to swing the finishing blow. Kix doesn’t even think, he just shoots, hitting the trooper dead in the chestplate before running over to the man on the ground.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Kix asks, offering him a hand up. The Jedi stares at it for a moment before taking it.</p><p>“Yeah, thanks. I’m Finn,” he says, and Kix smiles. </p><p>“You okay Big Deal?” Someone interrupts</p><p>“Yeah,” Finn answers.</p><p>Kix looks over to see an elderly human and a Wookie walking towards them, and can see Finn relax at the sight. The human flicks his gaze to Kix, and cocks his head.</p><p>“DON’T MOVE! TK-338, we have targets in custody.”</p><p>Finn glances to Kix, who grimaces as an entire squad of stormtroopers surrounds them. Kix drops his gun and raises his hands behind his head, knowing when he’s outnumbered. One of the stormtroopers wrestles the lightsaber from the Jedi’s grasp, and Kix frowns. He’d seen General Skywalker take out twice as many opponents in a few seconds without even breaking a sweat. Maybe Finn was just overly cautious? </p><p>Whatever the reason, Kix knows his place, and he plays along as one of the stormtroopers jams his blaster into Kix’s back. The old man and the Wookie play along as well, and the troopers lead them away as they begin to regroup. Kix’s mind races as he tries to find a way out of this. He’s not getting captured again, he won’t allow it. He’s still wracking his brain when he sees one of the stormtroopers pull out a comm.</p><p>“We have incoming at 2816!” Someone barks from the other side of the line, and the troopers around them erupt into chaos, all going for cover and squaring themselves off against the lake. Kix’s arms slowly lower in tandem with the others’ as the old man starts to smile.</p><p>“It’s the Resistance,” he says, and Kix feels his heart skip a beat. </p><p>In the distance, Kix can just make out a squadron of what appear to be X-Wings approaching fast, and feels a smile on his own lips. He watches in awe as the starfighters engage the TIEs in a flurry of movement, leaving explosions and debris in their wake. One takes a graceful dive and hits all of the surrounding stormtroopers with precision blasts, and Kix looks over at his companions, surprised. The old man hardly spares him a glance.</p><p>“Quick!” he says, and runs over to retrieve his blaster as Finn grabs his lightsaber. Kix scrambles for his DC, and curiously watches Finn as he declines using his lightsaber in favor of grabbing a discarded blaster. Kix downs one of the troopers coming out of the transport, and Finn shoots one that was creeping up behind Kix. He doesn’t even have time to thank him before they’re both staring in awe at an X-Wing that swoops low, taking out a TIE fighter that was gunning for them. Four, five, six TIEs he takes down, before taking another pass and blowing a few stormtroopers into oblivion for good measure. They watch, entranced as he continues dominating the battlefield and takes out four more enemy starfighters in quick succession.</p><p>“That is one hell of a pilot!” Finn exclaims, and Kix grins.</p><p>“You can say that again! I’m Kix, by the way,” he says, and sticks out his hand for the Jedi to shake. He does after a moment’s hesitation, and gives a small smile. Kix feels warm at the sight, honored to be the cause of such a smile.</p><p>“Thanks for saving me earlier. You’re part of Sidon’s crew, right?” Finn asks.</p><p>“I was,” Kix answers. “After Hosnian Prime, though? I can’t just sit out anymore. I want to join up, sir,” he says, and Finn cringes.</p><p>“Sir?” he asks, and Kix frowns.</p><p>“Sorry, are you uncomfortable with that? Would you rather I call you Master?” </p><p>Finn stares at him like he’s got a second head before he glances down at the lightsaber in his hands.</p><p>“Oh, you think I’m- oh. No, I’m not a Jedi, I’m just holding this for my friend,” he says, and Kix’s heart sinks before he latches onto the second part of the sentence and perks right back up.</p><p>“Is your friend a Jedi?” he asks, damning the hope in his voice. Finn shakes his head.</p><p>“No. Rey… I think Maz said she has the Force, though, that’s why she’s giving her the lightsaber,” he says, and Kix takes heart. She may not be a full blown Jedi, but she sounds like the closest they’ve got in the wake of the Jedi’s genocide and whatever happened to the new Jedi Academy. Kix nods.</p><p>“Alright, then. I still plan on joining up. You with the Resistance?” Kix asks, and Finn scratches the back of his neck.</p><p>“Not exactly. I’m going there, though. Rey’s delivering a droid with important information on it,” he says, and Kix smiles. </p><p>“Do you mind if I stick with you, then?” </p><p>Finn smiles tentatively, like he isn’t sure of himself, but he nods.</p><p>“Sure, I’d like that,” he says. Finn’s smile reaches his eyes, and Kix feels his face warm at the sincerity of the gesture. Finn opens his mouth, but gets a far away look in his eyes and doesn’t speak. It reminds Kix of whenever General Skywalker would sense something bad was about to happen.</p><p>“She’s in trouble,” he says, and scans the battlefield. Kix watches his face go slack and follows his sightline to see a black-clad figure carrying an unconscious woman towards a troop transport ship.</p><p>“No!” Finn yells and takes off towards the pair. Kix follows him, watching as the man in black boards the ship and it takes off. Finn keeps running afterwards, desperation in his voice.</p><p>“No, No, NO! REY!” Finn screams at the shrinking ship, and Kix’s heart hurts at the anguish in his new friend’s voice. Rey is obviously very dear to Finn. Finn is still staring at the ship when it jumps into hyperspace, and Kix slowly approaches him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Finn,” he says, and Finn whirls to stare at him. He doesn’t speak for a moment.</p><p>“I’m getting her back,” he says, and Kix doesn’t argue with him. He’s heard that tone before, usually from Rex. The thought of his brother hurts, and he pushes it away.</p><p>“Alright,” Kix agrees, and Finn nods before setting off towards the old man, who appears to be waiting for one of the Resistance ships to touch down. Kix is about to follow him when he hears a cry for a medic.</p><p>Immediately, he snaps to attention and sets off towards the cries. He has a job to do.</p><p>When he turns a corner, he finds his patient. It’s Reveth, bruised and battered. One of her legs is caught underneath the rubble, and her red lekku are bleeding in several places. She looks at him and a small grin breaks out on her face.</p><p>“Boy am I glad to see you, Kixie!” Reveth exclaims, and he kneels next to her, pulling his supplies out of his bag and wrapping a medic armband around his arm.</p><p>“I’m happy you’re alright. Did the others-?”</p><p>“They’re fine. I got trapped, told them to get out of here. I knew you were skulking about, and so did they - I doubt Sidon would have left if you weren’t around,” she says as he begins checking her over for injuries. Other than a few superficial cuts to her lekku, and her obviously broken shin, she’s fine. He bandages her left lek and gently slathers bacta on her right.</p><p>“You’ll be just fine. I’m gonna have to go and get some help to get you out, though, and to scrounge up a stretcher. I’ll be back, alright?” Kix asks, and she flashes a worn smile at him and waves him off. He sets off for where he last saw Finn at a jog, and finds him sitting dejectedly on a pile of rubble. Nearby, Resistance medics have set up a triage area. Kix stops in front of Finn, who looks up. Kix offers him a hand.</p><p>“I need help moving some rubble off of my friend’s leg, and another stretcher bearer,” he says, and Finn nods, taking his hand and hoisting himself up. Finn’s hand is warm in Kix’s own, and his palm tingles even after they let go. Finn follows him to the triage station, where they pilfer a stretcher and set out towards Reveth’s location. They reach her quickly and place the stretcher on the ground before moving to pick up the rubble.</p><p>“This is gonna hurt, Reveth. On three. One, two, three!” Kix exclaims, and strains with Finn to pick up the chunk up rubble. They manage, and place the large piece of stone next to the groaning Reveth. Kix quickly goes about injecting a painkiller before assessing the break with his medscanner as Finn watches him work.</p><p>“Simple transverse fracture in only one place. You’re lucky, this should heal up easy. I’m going to set it, but the painkiller means you shouldn’t feel anything, alright?” Kix asks, and she nods. He efficiency goes about re-setting her leg before applying the only insta-cast in his small kit and declaring her good to go. She situates herself on the stretcher and he and Finn quickly hoist her into the air.</p><p>“So you’re a doctor?” Finn asks as they traverse the rubble, careful not to jostle Reveth.</p><p>“Field medic,” he answers, and Finn hums.</p><p>“Really? What war did you serve in, if you don’t mind me asking? Surely not the Galactic Civil War, you can’t be that old,” Finn says, and Kix chuckles a laugh that’s only a little bitter.</p><p>“The Clone Wars,” he answers, and Finn splutters.</p><p>“What, how? That was nearly fifty years ago!”</p><p>“Cryo-cycle stasis,” he answers, and Reveth cuts in.</p><p>“It’s true - our crew found him in an old Seperatist vessel in the desert,” she says, and Finn is quiet for a moment.</p><p>“I’m sorry, for what it’s worth,” he says, and Kix sighs as they reach the triage station.</p><p>“Thanks, Finn. What about you, what’s your story?” Kix asks, desperate to change the topic. Finn is quiet for a moment, long enough for Kix to consider taking it back.</p><p>“I was a stormtrooper with the First Order. They took me as a child, brainwashed me, forced me to fight for them. I… I couldn’t… <em> wouldn’t </em> kill for them. So I ran,” Finn says as they near the med station. Kix is floored. Of course Finn was noble enough to break through <em> brainwashing </em> to do what’s right.</p><p>“That’s very brave of you,” says Kix. Finn sighs.</p><p>“I guess. Let’s set her down here,” he says, dismissing Kix’s praise. They set Reveth down next to the growing number of patients waiting for evac, and Kix walks over to the station and grabs a yellow triage tag for Reveth, tying it to her cast. He pats her on the shoulder and glances to Finn.</p><p>“You want to help some more?” Kix asks, sensing that Finn needs to be distracted from what he’d just experienced. Finn looks at him for a moment before nodding, and Kix smiles.</p><p>“Let’s check in with whoever’s in charge and put you to work, then,” he says.</p><hr/><p>“You think he’s cute, don’t you,” Reveth asks as he’s removing the bandages from her lek. Kix huffs.</p><p>“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he insists, and Reveth rolls her eyes. She flicks him with her cybernetic hand, which stings. The rumble of the transport ship is comforting, and he tries to focus on it rather than his annoying Twi’lek companion.</p><p>“Finn. You like him, don’t lie to me, Kixie,” she teases, and Kix goes about gathering his things to move onto the next patient. The medical team had welcomed him with open arms, being in dire need of extra personnel to help handle the ocean of patients injured in the raid on Takodana. One of those patients was too nosey for her own good.</p><p>“Doesn’t much matter what I want. I’m a clone, Reveth,” he rebuts, and she grabs his wrist before he can pull away. She tries to stare him in the eyes, but he chooses to focus on her black tattoos instead. She huffs.</p><p>“That may have worked back in the Clone Wars, but as far as you’re concerned, you’re your own person now. You’re the <em> last </em> clone, Kix. You shouldn’t let that keep you from happiness,” she says, and he has to close his eyes for a brief moment. She’s right that he’s the last of his kind, but rather than that being freeing, it feels like a weight around his neck, slowly killing him. Reveth seems to sense her misstep.</p><p>“Look, you two probably have a lot in common. You were both raised soldiers, you both left the service before joining up again, and you’re both stupidly principled,” she says, and he frowns.</p><p>“I’m not principled, I’m just trying to survive,” he counters, and she narrows her eyes at him.</p><p>“Then why are you joining up to fight against tyranny?” Reveth asks in a flat tone. Kix opens his mouth, only to hesitate and close it. Maybe she was right, at least in this aspect. Reveth pinches her brow.</p><p>“Look, just think about it, okay? You’re… you’re my friend, Kix, and you deserve to be happy,” she admits, and Kix feels something warm light up in his chest.</p><p>“You’re my friend too, Reveth,” he says, meeting her gaze with a smile before moving onto the next patient, a Rodian with a blaster wound to the arm who is blessedly less talkative, giving him plenty of time to think as he goes through the motions.</p><p>Finn is attractive, yes, but it’s more than that. It’s like what Reveth said - Finn is principled, whether he knows it or not. He’s the kind of person people rally around, the kind of person Kix would gladly follow into battle. </p><p>Kix sighs. His place is here, helping the wounded, not charging into battle. For now at least, the days of ground campaigns are over. The Resistance relies on lightning raids and guerilla tactics, not frontal assaults. Field medics still exist, yes, but having a medical team standing by for when the X-Wings touch back down is much more important. He knows his place, and it isn’t by Finn’s side, in any sense, no matter what Reveth says.</p><p>Kix moves onto the next patient, a young human woman with a gut wound, and does his job, not allowing himself to think about anything besides treatment plans and courses of action.</p><hr/><p>Waiting around is nerve wracking. Kix isn’t used to it, sitting out of the action. Even the threat of imminent destruction from Starkiller Base hadn’t been this upsetting. Maybe he’s overreacting because they received a transmission letting them know someone on the <em> Millenium Falcon </em>is seriously injured, but he doesn’t care as he waits on the tarmac with a hover stretcher and a few orderlies who’d volunteered alongside him.</p><p>Up in the blue sky, a squad of X-Wings come out of hyperspace, the <em> Millenium Falcon </em> right behind.</p><p>“Look, they’re back!” Kix says, pointing to the ships that are just starting to touch down before running over to the <em> Falcon </em> in the distance. They give the ship space to lower her ramp before they rush over. The Wookie, Chewbacca, appears at the top of the ramp cradling Finn in his arms, and Kix’s breath catches in his chest before he waves them over. Finn looks <em> dead</em>, and Kix immediately feels for a pulse, desperate for confirmation that his new friend is still alive. There’s a small flutter beneath his fingertips and he nearly laughs with relief.</p><p>“We’ve got a heartbeat!” Kix announces as Chewbacca lowers him to the hover stretcher before hopping on alongside him. Kix punches it towards the med center before turning to Chewbacca.</p><p>“What happened?” Kix asks, using his medical scanner on Finn. It comes back saying he has deep burns along his spine, which makes Kix scowl. His Shyriiwook is rusty, but he remembers the word for lightsaber well enough.</p><p>“Prep the bacta chamber,” one of the orderlies barks into his comm, and Kix shoots her a glance.</p><p>“No, he needs to go into surgery first,” he says, and the woman frowns as they near the medcenter.</p><p>“He needs to be stabilized,” she insists, and Kix shakes his head. She sighs. “You’re gonna have to talk to Doctor Relonti, then,” she says, and he waves her away. He doesn’t care who he has to convince, he knows lightsaber burns better than anyone else on this base.</p><p>The medcenter is in mild chaos, what with the influx of wounded pilots, but everyone pauses to watch their rushed procession through the room towards the waiting bacta tank. Kix hops off and strides over to Relonti, a worn looking Mon Calamari man with crossed arms.</p><p>“We can’t put him in bacta yet, we need to operate or we run the risk of permanent spinal damage,” Kix says, and the man shakes his head.</p><p>“You’re a field medic, not a doctor. We need to get him stabilized or he could deteriorate,” Relonti says, and Kix clenches his fist.</p><p>“Have you ever dealt with a lightsaber wound around bones and ligaments?” Kix asks, and the man hesitates. He takes the opening. “I have, doctor, and trust me when I say if we stick him in bacta now, his cauterized ligaments and bones run the risk of calcifying and rendering him paralysed!” Kix barks, and the med center is dead silent. Relonti hesitates before nodding, and Kix allows himself to slump in relief for only a moment before nodding and walking off to go scrub up for surgery. He’d never operated on a burn so large, or one so close to the spinal cord, but he knows for a fact that Finn is better off in his hands than in anyone else's.</p><hr/><p>“Have I told you about the time Jesse put hair dye in Rex’s shampoo?” Kix asks as he goes about organizing the supply cart in Finn’s room. Really, whoever had been on duty last was a slob. Kix glances over to the bed where Finn is lying, still unresponsive. It’s been two weeks without so much as a twitch, when the medical coma was only supposed to last for one. There’s nothing physically wrong with Finn, he just… hasn’t woken up yet. Kix worries if he did the right thing by insisting on surgery before the bacta immersion, but he shoves the thought away as unproductive.</p><p>“Rex had made him take an extra shift for smarting off infront of some shinies, and Jesse missed our weekly sabacc game. He wasn’t very happy about it, and so he sliced into Rex’s quarters and poured an entire bottle of pink hair dye into Rex’s shampoo,” Kix recounts, unable to keep the smile from his voice. “The next day, the captain showed up, hair neon pink, and with no shame. When asked about it, he said he wanted to try a new look. Jesse cracked up, and Rex looked him dead in the eye and thanked him for the idea. Jesse got two extra shifts for his troubles, and Rex continued to use the damn shampoo until he ran out,” Kix says. His smile fades from his face as he thinks about his brothers.</p><p>“I miss them, Finn. I miss them so much. I hate being alone, I wasn’t made for it,” he admits, finishing organizing the cart. Kix stands up and walks over to the bed, grabbing the blankets and tucking them higher around Finn’s clammy form. “I don’t know if you can relate, I’m not sure if you were very close with your squad, but losing them feels like <em> dying,</em> Finn. I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes when I remember that everyone, <em> everyone </em> I ever loved is dead,” Kix says, voice cracking as he sits on the side of Finn’s bed when his knees nearly give out.</p><p>“I’m just… I’m sorry for unloading all of this on you. I don’t… I don’t have anyone else to talk to about it. I mean, there’s Reveth, but she doesn’t understand, not really,” Kix admits before sighing.</p><p>“Thank you for listening, Finn. I’ll be here for you whenever you wake up, if you ever need to talk,” Kix says before leaving. He drifts through the medcenter and clocks out before making his way towards the mess hall for some caf. He’s been pulling double shifts to try and keep the other medics from burnout and it’s really wearing on him. Walking into the mess, he sees a couple familiar faces - Poe Dameron and Reveth are huddled together speaking in hushed tones. Kix rolls his eyes at whatever they’re scheming and walks over to get himself some caf before joining them.</p><p>“Oh, hey Kix!” Poe says, sitting up as if he weren’t just hunched over, conspiring with the enemy.</p><p>“Hello, Poe. What’ve you got there?” Kix asks, cocking his head towards the bundled up jacket on the bench. Poe grins, and Kix gets a bad feeling.</p><p>“This is my jacket, well, it's Finn’s now. I gave it to him. It got slashed up, but I patched it up for him. I’m much too busy to drop by, so I was wondering if you could give it to him when he wakes up?” Poe asks, and there’s so much hope in his eyes that Kix can’t help but sigh and stick his hand out. Poe grins and hands it over. Kix examines his handiwork. He has to admit, it’s pretty good. All of the singed leather has been cut away and a large strip of red leather has been stitched into the back. Kix slings it around his shoulders so as not to forget it and goes about drinking his caf in peace while Poe and Reveth quietly bicker about X-Wings versus TIE fighters.</p><p>He finishes his caf and gets up to stumble back to the medcenter when he feels a hand on his wrist. He looks down to find Reveth’s red hand gently holding his arm. </p><p>“Yes?” Kix asks. Reveth stares at him with her bright blue eyes.</p><p>“Go take a shower and a nap, Kix. You’re a mess,” she says gently. He takes offense to that - he’s managing! Yes, he feels like he’s running on empty, but he knows his limits. “Please,” she adds, and he folds like a pack of pazaak cards.</p><p>“Alright. I’m going to nap in the medcenter, though,” Kix says, and she rolls her eyes.</p><p>Kix ambles into the communal showers - those are familiar, at least. He perfunctorily goes about the motions of washing himself and tries not to melt down the drain at the feeling of warm water. That was new, he’s taken freezing cold showers his entire life, and sweet <em> Force </em> has he been missing out.</p><p>Soon he dries off and throws his prized hand-me-downs on before sliding on the jacket as well so he doesn’t forget. He wonders if it’s Finn’s only piece of clothing, and he resolves to ask him when he wakes up. Kix doesn’t have much, but he does have a few extra sets of clothes donated by the crew of the <em> Martinet</em>, and he’s more than happy to share.</p><p>The medcenter is dead for once, and it’s easy enough to steal away into Finn’s room and set up camp in the chair. He drifts off quick, exhausted from being up for over twenty-four hours.</p><p>Kix startles to wakefulness a few hours later after the alarm he set on his comm goes off, kicking the supply cart and scattering things about the room in the process. He groans and rubs the sleep from his eyes before turning his alarm off and getting up to survey the damage.</p><p>Kix stands and begins gathering up the supplies he’d thrown everywhere, some of which were sterile and now needed to be trashed. As he begins gathering the cotton swaps that were spread from here to the next sector, he absentmindedly begins humming Vode An to pass the time. He starts to sing softly sometime after he starts cleaning up the gauze pads</p><p>“Bal kote, darasuum kote</p><p>Jorso'ran kando a tome</p><p>Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an…”</p><p>“What song are you singing?” Finn asks, startling Kix so bad he proceeds to toss the gauze pads everywhere. He sits up and looks over to see Finn watching him, his smile reaching his dark eyes.</p><p>“You’re awake!” Kix exclaims. Finn raises his brows, and Kix feels his face go hot. “Oh, and it’s just an old Mandalorian war song, Vode An,” he explains, running his hand through his hair to try and straighten it out from where it had frizzed up after his shower. He’s been growing it out, and it’s starting to become a little unruly.</p><p>“I like it,” Finn says, and Kix didn’t know his face could get hotter than it already was, but Finn seems to have that effect on him.</p><p>“Thank you. Um… how are you feeling?” Kix asks.</p><p>“Tired. How long have I been out?” Finn questions, and Kix pushes all of the remaining medical supplies into a pile to deal with later.</p><p>“Exactly two weeks. We were starting to get worried,” he says, and Finn’s eyes go wide.</p><p>“Two weeks?! Is everyone alright? I don’t really know what happened after the battle.”</p><p>Kix nods before sitting in his chair once more.</p><p>“Yes, everyone’s fine. Rey and Chewie left to go find Skywalker, and Poe’s been anxious to see you,” he says. “You can probably give Rey a holocall tomorrow, I know she was worried about you.”</p><p>Finn nods before he pauses and cocks his head.</p><p>“Are you wearing my jacket?” Finn asks, and Kix flounders for a moment.</p><p>“Yes? Poe Dameron repaired it and asked me to give it to you. Uh, here, let me take it off,” he says, beginning to shirk off the leather jacket.</p><p>“No, no, it’s fine. You can keep it safe for me while I’m still healing up. It… it looks good on you,” Finn says, and it’s a miracle Kix doesn’t combust on the spot with how hot his face goes.</p><p>“Th-thanks,” he somehow manages to stutter out. Finn beams at him. After a moment, his grin seems to soften and his face goes fond.</p><p>“The whole time, I could hear you,” he says, and Kix’s jaw goes slack. It’s possible for people in a coma to still process auditory stimuli, but exceedingly rare. If Finn heard everything, then that meant he’d listened to Kix yammer on about his family and how much he missed them. He hadn’t really done so with the expectation of actually being listened to.</p><p>“Thanks for keeping me company. It was really lonely without you,” Finn continues, and Kix pauses. It must have been terrifying, being fully conscious but unable to move or speak. Perhaps him talking had helped Finn, even if it is a bit mortifying to think about.</p><p>“You’re welcome. Thank you for listening,” he says, and Finn smiles at him.</p><p>“Your brothers were amazing, I’m honored you shared their memories with me,” he says, and Kix is nearly overwhelmed by the sincerity in Finn’s voice. He stands and walks over to Finn’s bed, sitting next to him and taking his hand in Kix’s own. Finn squeezes, and Kix squeezes back.</p><p>“You’re welcome, Finn. Am I… am I overstepping my bounds?” Kix asks, wanting to make sure he isn’t making Finn uncomfortable. Finn shakes his head.</p><p>“No, not at all. I’m-” Finn cuts off in a yawn. “I’m glad you’re here,” he finishes.</p><p>“You need to sleep,” Kix tells him, and goes to stand up. Finn doesn’t let go of his hand though.</p><p>“Wait. Can… can you stay? Just until I fall asleep?” Finn asks, a sliver of fear in his voice. Kix sighs and squeezes his hand before dragging the chair over and sitting next to the bed, cradling Finn’s hand in both of his.</p><p>“Of course. I’ll do my best to be here when you wake up, as well,” Kix says, and watches the tension drain from Finn’s shoulders. Finn gives him another sunshine smile.</p><p>“Thank you,” he says, and Kix nods before situating himself to keep watch over Finn as the other man closes his eyes.</p><hr/><p>“Thank you for this,” Finn says as Kix loops his arm in Finn’s and they begin their walk around the D’Quar Base tarmac.</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” Kix answers, waving him off as he supports his friend. They tried the cane, but Finn felt self-conscious about it. Kix understands, a sign of weakness like that would have been a one-way ticket for decommissioning. Finn’s been getting stronger every day, so the cane would have been temporary anyways, and it’s not exactly like Kix minds helping him out.</p><p>“Beautiful day,” Finn comments, and Kix hums. It really is. The humidity is low, there’s a breeze coming in off the river, and the local birds are singing their hearts out. Finn and Kix aren’t the only ones enjoying the weather - Poe waves at them from his perch on top of his X-Wing, Jessica Pava and her girlfriend Kaydel Ko Connix are having a picnic on the green, and General Organa is giving a group of new recruits a tour. Kix smiles. He had no idea peace like this was even possible, especially in wartime, and looking over at Finn, he isn’t alone in his wonder.</p><p>Finn has a smile on his face that warms Kix all the way to his toes. He swears seeing Finn smile never gets old.</p><p>“Whatcha thinking about?” Kix asks him, and Finn glances towards him as they make their way off of the tarmac and down one of the well trodden paths towards the forest.</p><p>“You,” he says simply, and Kix smiles.</p><p>“Oh, really? What about me?”</p><p>Finn hums as they duck under a low flowering branch.</p><p>“How I’m so glad I met you,” Finn answers, and Kix blinks.</p><p>“Oh… thank you,” he says, flustered, and they come to a stop in the middle of a sunlit path. “I’m glad I met you too, Finn,” Kix says, staring into Finn’s eyes. Finn grabs Kix’s hands and laces them with his own.</p><p>“I… I care about you, Kix,” he starts. “You’ve been there for me when I needed it the most. I don’t understand what I did to deserve having someone like you in my life, but I’m grateful all the same.”</p><p>“Oh, Finn. You deserve the galaxy, cyare,” he says, and freezes when the endearment leaves his lips. Finn’s brows scrunch together.</p><p>“Cyare? I don’t recognize that one, what does it mean?” </p><p>Kix is at a loss for words for a moment, but decides to commit.</p><p>“It means beloved.”</p><p>Finn’s smile blooms across his face, and Kix feels a grin tug at his own lips.</p><p>“Cyare… I like the sound of that,” Finn says, and Kix can’t help but laugh. He feels free, for the first time since waking up.</p><p>“Yeah?” Kix asks. Finn steps closer into Kix’s space, and Kix looks up at him, entranced,</p><p>“Yeah,” Finn says, reaching up and cupping Kix’s face in his hand. Kix leans into it, closing his eyes in bliss. He feels drunk on the attention. When he opens his eyes, Finn is a lot closer. Kix flicks his gaze from Finn’s fathomless eyes down to his full lips and then back up again.</p><p>“Is this alright?” Finn asks in a whisper.</p><p>“Yes,” Kix breathes, and leans in.</p><p>He’s never kissed anyone before. Their noses bump before they find the right angle and their lips connect. Finn’s lips are warm and plush, and Kix reaches up and pulls Finn closer.</p><p>They part after a moment, and Kix pulls Finn into a kov’nyn, resting their foreheads together as they breathe the same air.</p><p>“Wow,” he says, and Finn laughs, loud and carefree.</p><p>“Yeah, wow,” Finn agrees before pressing a kiss to Kix’s nose, which makes his face go hot.</p><p>“Will you be my boyfriend?” Kix asks, more nervous than he has any right to be, and he knows his answer by the smile that comes to Finn’s face.</p><p>“If you’ll have me, yes, I’ll be your boyfriend,” Finn says, and Kix kisses him again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mando'a Translations:<br/>K'oyacyi - Stay alive<br/>Vode - Siblings, fanon term for the clones<br/>Bal kote, darasuum kote<br/>Jorso'ran kando a tome<br/>Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an…<br/>- And glory, eternal glory,<br/>We shall bear its weight together.<br/>Forged like the saber in the fires of death, Brothers all.</p><p>I'm not a doctor or at all qualified when it comes to medical things, so I'm sure there are plenty of inaccuracies that I'm going to blame on bacta being a miracle substance with unknown properties. Could joints fuse together if bone is cauterized? Probably not! Do I care? Not one bit! And yes, I gave Kix not only one wingman, but two, because lord knows he deserves them. Also, TLJ? Sorry, I don't know her 💅</p></blockquote></div></div>
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